During my final year of classes for my BEd I was thrilled to have the opportunity to learn more about Fine Art and how to teach this subject. During grades 3-6 I went to a Fine Arts school in Kamloops. I absolutely loved this learning environment as it allowed for topics to be taught across multiple subject areas and in multiple forms. I was always a creative person and I thrived in such an environment that challenged me to view education in new and exciting ways such as through dance, art, drama, music, and everything in between. So when I found out that I would finally be in a course that would help me learn new skills and approaches to teaching Fine Art in todays classrooms I was very excited!
Through the duration of this class, we were all pushed to challenge ourselves and step outside of our comfort zones when engaging in creating art. I learned so many things such as how to introduce students to various mediums like water colour paint, acrylic, pastels, and charcoal, and how to bring nature, exploration, and natural inquiry into artwork. There was one specific project, though, that we were required to complete that resonated with me the most. The assignment was an Indigenous Artist Spotlight. This required as individually to find and research an Indigenous artist, learn about their background, their artwork, and connect with this. The intention was for us to develop an appreciation for this artists work, teach our classmates about it, its significance and prevalence within Canada, and why it is important for us all to take note and pay homage to Indigenous artists.
I felt incredibly inspired by this project and fell in love with the work by Metis artist Christi Belcourt. I loved being able to share this woman’s beautiful art with my class and became eager to one day share this with a class in the future. I also loved learning about all the other amazing Indigenous artist in Canada that I may have never heard of had it not been for this class. All around I found this project to help me see the importance of exploring the art world so as to bring more perspective and connections into classrooms. Due to the fact that my father is also an artist I believe it is so important to recognize artistic accomplishments and provide support for artists and their work.
I hope that I can bring the same excitement and passion that has been renewed in me for the arts to my future students. I think it is so important for students to have creative outlets and for those that connect with the arts to know that following this passion is accomplishable and admirable.
Below I have linked my Indigenous Artist Spotlight assignment, I hope you enjoy it!
